The Provence wine and vineyard route is one of the Routes de Bonheur, or pleasure trips, that Relais & Chateaux have designed for their clients. Gilles Ozello, a wine expert from L’Oustau de Baumanière Hotel, shares his knowledge of the best wine tourism destinations in the region.

Gilles Ozello, the wine expert, or sommelier, at L’Oustau de Baumanière Hotel, in Baux-de-Provence, likes to share his passion for his wine district with his clients. He has designed a wine route which passes through the most beautiful countryside, the most majestic sites and the most beautiful Relais & Chateaux hotels in the region: the Villa Augusta, the Chateau de Rochegude, the Mas des Herbes Blanches at Joucas, the Phébus & Spa, the Prieuré at Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, and the Maison d’Uzès.

‘I've been at L’Oustau de Baumanière for 30 years now, and I’m still enchanted by Provence. I love the fusion between the limestone and the olive trees, the contrast between the arid climate and the strong smells after the rain,’ says sommelier Gilles Ozello.

In this relaxed district, which has as many wine types as the Provence region, Gilles Ozello invites his clients to take this route so that they can see the full extent and diversity of the landscapes, and understand the geological, magical link between each district and its wine. You can sense, guess and finally understand this influence as you travel the wine route from the hill country of Rochegude, in the Drôme, all the way to the rough, dry slopes of Castillon-du-Gard. 

A diversity of colours and grapes characterise the wines of Provence

Diversity and colours are here for you to admire as you travel through these vineyards: the rounded wines of the Côtes-du-Rhône and Gigondas, the subtle, sweet wines from Rasteau and Baumes-de-Venise, the delicate blends of the wines from the Luberon, the strength of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the fruity rosés of Tavel. ‘I've been at L’Oustau de Baumanière for 30 years now, and I’m still enchanted by Provence,’ says this lover of the region, born near Aix-en-Provence. ‘I love the fusion between the limestone and the olive trees, the contrast between the arid climate and the strong smells after the rain. I love the Durance Valley and its light.’

With its diversity of grape types, wine districts and villages, Gilles Ozello never gets tired of Provence, where L’Oustau de Baumanière is one of the region’s most prestigious hotels, an institution of the Mediterranean lifestyle.